All For You
by Surgery With Smiles
Summary: Sacrifice. That is all Naruto ever was and ever will be. He will give everything to the village that scorns him until there is nothing left of him but a shell. Will there be someone to stop that cruel reality from taking effect or will it be too late?
1. Chapter 1

'Why do they look at me this way...'

'....Why did you do this to me Kami?'

The mind is a fragile thing. Altered by the nature of things around it and the nurture given to it.

The nature around this mind is...angry...closed...alone

There was no nurture

A mind should never be handled this way

There will always be sickening consequences

A boy of the turning age of 18 sat alone in his 'house'. Knees drawn tightly to his chest, arms wrapping around the other limbs to keep them from sliding away. There was a slight shake to the body as electric blue colored eyes stared blankly into the space ahead.

This was no home

The frayed carpet was stained with dark crimson that never faded, no matter how much scrubbing was done. Walls were poorly decorated. The owner had given up cleaning his other names and messages to himself that where painted there. After friendly neighbors had visited numerous times nothing worked any longer. Cupboards with the doors torn off the hinges. Refrigerator overturned onto the floor. Rats now living inside of the rotten floors.. The windows had been broken so many times that it was useless to waste money to replace them. The nonexistent glass allowed the cold winter air to blast into the seemingly empty apartment.

The boy himself seemed to be perfectly set with his surroundings. The cold had lost its bite with his body being exposed to its chill for so long. Slowly the dulling eyes fluttered closed, falling into a sleep filled with the thoughts of the ones around him.

None of the images changed in his dream. There they where, surrounding him in a tight circle seemingly towering above him. Even thought they where separate bodies they were the same. The same eyes, filled with such emotion that he felt compelled to believe their harsh words carried by the same voice. Night and day they would tell him who he really was. This boy was heartless...a killer of innocence and didn't deserve to breath the same air given to him by Kami.

The way he saw it...if these things are said by all of them...it must be true

Eyelids raised from their resting place to allow the vision of the same scarred walls its host had departed. A sigh escaped from the blue eyed boy. He woke up...how cruel of him.

Raising from his fetal position he quietly padded over to the nearby bathroom. Stripping himself the boy washed his tainted skin with water just as cold as the night wind that had bathed his body hours on end. Stepping out of the tub with a stale towel loosely wrapping around his slim waist the boy walked to the door but stopped in a mild surprise when his gaze met the mirror. Years had changed him. Of coarse he never really grew taller, still the shortest amongst the other men in the village. With lack of nutrition the adolescent owned a very slim figure that almost seemed feminine by his small body and the way his waist gently curved in then out to go to his hips. His shoulders looked small and fail and neck long that was partially covered with choppy blond strands. Over time the boy stopped worrying about himself and left his hair alone for it to eventually grow out and lose its outrageous spiky quality to now slightly flip out bellow his ear. Even though he had such a small body so that he would be presumed weak, standing bare in front of the mirror it was easy to see the well formed muscles gracefully sliding bellow tanned skin completely unmarred except for six scares lining the boy's cheeks stretching back to the jaw.

To any normal human the blond would seem good looking but to the current spectator he couldn't stand the sight of such a creature. Getting sick of the vision in front of him the teen traveled back into the main room where he neared the a dark alcove with a pile of clothes sleeping at the bottom. This used to be a closet but the doors were torn off so long ago that it no more appeared so. He was to find his clothes for training later today with his team. The happening was very odd to him. He had not seen them in years, always being out on missions. His only break being the trip from the village gates to the tower to receive the next task. After living his life being a hapless idiot he had finally found his purpose. His healing power made him indestructible. His chakra supply was never ending. He was a jinchuuriki. A sacrifice. He was his village's perfect weapon and would be used as such.

Raising dull eyes, the sight of a nearly empty alcove met him. Thats when he remembered how much Sakura hated his orange jumpsuit and bent herself on destroying every one of them he had. Too bad it was all he had. Stepping further into the closet the blond spotted a few articles of clothing in the corner. They were from when he was younger. Part of the outfit was his old night shirt, a long, black, tank top with the orange swirl on the back. Then there were the orange shorts that would probably be tight on him now.

Sighing the boy slipped the tank top over his head and was surprised of how close fitting it was and that it could actually reach his hipbone, which jutted out only to be covered by a thin layer of skin. Next were the shorts which he stepped into after his boxers were put on. They weren't as tight as he imagined and he was thankful that they at least reached his knees. Walking to the door the blond squatted down to put his sandals on then he was gone, not bothering to lock the tilted door.

The stairs lowly groaned in pain as the boy's weight stressed their weak planks. One day they would break, although so would he. Making his way to the door of the run down apartment place the blond quietly opened the main door, not wanting to deprive the more deserving humans of sleep. Stepping out into the street of the Village the teen watched perplexed as a thick fog rose from between his lips into the sky, only to be swept away by the biting cold wind. Looking up the small boy watched as white flakes fell from the almost black sky. Not bothering with it the boy turned and headed to where his team would be, he had heard over his about three year training journey and four year absence on missions straight after, a traitor had returned after killing his captor. In the years before he would had been ecstatic for some reason but at the moment no feeling came to mind. There was no more fuel to kindle the spark inside of the smiling Jack-o-Lantern mask. Turning away from the darker section of the village the blond entered the market place trying to look past the hateful glares sent his was even though some were confused for an unknown reason.

"Die Demon!" Came a cry from near the sidelines of the path.

Pain serpented up his arm as the proclaimed demon looked down to see shards of a beer bottle glittering against his crying red skin. Bodies froze around the scene as they watched the boy quietly stare down at the now dripping wound. Slowly dieing blue gazed back at the stilled crowd. Slightly blue lips parted to pass on a whisper, as if carrying on a secret never to be heard "Forgive me." With that the feminine looking blond walked on to where he was needed.

It didn't take long enough for the familiar bridge to come into view with a surprising number of four already occupying the structure. The boy slowly walked towards them, alerting the bodies with the sound of snow crunching under his sandals. The first to look up was a girl with beautiful green eyes dressed warmly with a red scarf wrapped around her neck. She was...smiling. The blond returned the green gaze with his own steal gray. There was a sliver haired man crouching on the railing of the bridge seemingly reading an orange book but the blond could easily see that the man was secretly glancing between him and another boy with blue tinted hair.

The demon carrier's eyes lingered on the lithe, proud figure. The body of his former team mate, the traitor. He stood there casually, leaning against the bridge's railing staring at the blond as if expecting something. The boy just stood there. His scared face was blank before its eyes were dragged over to the last member. This boy was also very dark. A black shirt hugged his body before being cut off at a flat stomach, he was also very pale looking very fitting in the background of white snow blankets.

The boy's observations were interrupted when someone's voice shattered the silence held tense around them.

"Na..Naruto!?" Eyes quickly shifted towards the abrupt noise and took notice it originated from Sakura, staring at him with a shocked expression "You're back?"

Ah yes he had not seen her for six years hadn't he?

A chuckle beat the fox to any reply he had meant to make..if he was going to. "Maa yes that's what I called you all here for. It seems that our old team mate has finally found it convenient to come back and join us, Sakura...Sasuke." Silence once again elapsed the scene before a famous orange book slapped shut and the teens were reintroduced to Kakashi's eye smile "Well have fun catching up!" With that their sensei disappeared in a cloud of smoke. An awkward silence invaded the clearing once more.

"Naruto...Why are these in your arm?" The boy's body tensed when he noticed how close the girl had actually gotten. Instincts called for the boy to evade and took a few steps back from the girl. Looking down he follow her gaze to see she was directing the question at the numerous shards of glass adorning his bloodied arm, sealed in between the slips of newly healed flesh.

"..Ah, Gomen." His voice was quiet, ashamed that he did not remove these earlier. Without a moments hesitation the blond reached up and started plucking out the pieces, either ignoring or never noticing the streams of blood racing down his arm from the now gasping holes.

Green eyes watched on in shock as blood danced down pale skin to paint the stain snow underneath. "Na..Naruto stop! Your hurting yourself!" She tried to stop him by grabbing the wrist of the arm pulling out the glass but it never even slowed. When had he grown this strong? When had he began to ignore her? "Am I?" It was quiet but she could still hear it. Looking down the pink haired girl gasped as the bleeding holes were already closed and healed. A deep voice interrupted further questioning from Sakura "Seems like the dobe learned some new tricks." Two pairs of eyes raised to see that the arrogant form of the Uchiha heir had neared them and watched the entire scene between them.

--Hokage's Office--

The room was unlike it had been in the ninja's memories. Paperwork no longer mounted into unbeatable hills, there was no longer the faint smell of sake in the air or the woman's breath, nor was there anything eventful to take note of.

A man who's name resembled that of a scarecrow entered the room, no longer bothering with the well known formality called the 'knock'. This one dark eye stared down the working woman until she decided to speak to him.

"Ah...Kakashi...What brings you here?" The blond asked in an unusual bored tone.

"Why is Naruto back on my team?" Instead of the amusing yet curious voice that would be expected to come from the masked man, it was stern, angry, and if you don't mind, decorated with a sprinkle of disgust.

The brush that had been easily filling in what ever was needed in a skillful manner halted. Bored hazel eyes that only reflected the black and white requests narrowed and rose to the tall man that was angrily meeting her gaze. "What should it matter if I replaced Naruto on your team?" Her voice was stiff, begging him to give it a reason to rise to a scream.

The odd man crossed his arms in a imposing yet defensive position. "That..thing was meant to be gone long ago. I have finally gotten my team to perfect standings and now you send It back? Dismiss that the demon's lack of skills will drop us to the bottom of the charts once again but my team will most likely be murdered in their sleep by the end of the week!" Slowly through his argument his voice rose and hidden insults and insinuations threw away the curtain to be seen straight in the light.

The woman stood immediately to the challenge, an old spark once again present in her eyes. "Now I know that someone as lowly as you is not questioning the Hokage's decision. I assure you that no harm will befall your students and I expect you to keep your unjustified hatred against your very own Student hidden and let what I plan to happen do so. You are dismissed." Her words had an air of finality, leaving no room for the Jounin to spat back. His eyes narrowed in anger as his chest rose in quick successions. The air it held wishing to be released to help in the effort of striking this infuriating woman before him.

Yet, disobeying orders would mean he might be taken from his team, leaving them with that monster.. Turning on heal the man strode out of the office.

The Hokage's eyes followed Kakashi until the door slammed shut behind him. Only then did she allow a groan to pass her lips and let her face fall to be cradled in her hands. She had only issued the past that had befallen Naruto because she had hoped it would have helped him. She allowed him to be swept away into the world of travels with Jiraiya so that he could see that not everything he saw hated him. That had backfired. Jiraiya barely payed attention to the boy, not knowing how to adept his travels to one for an attention starved child. Also the blond was frequently attacked by the Akatsuki now that he was out of the shielding walls of Konoha...So all in all that educational journey for the gaki was hell delivered on a stick. He somehow got it into his head that he was too weak. That no matter where he went that he would be hated and have to fight.

When he returned he didn't talk as much, his smile wasn't as bright anymore..but at least then he attempted to smile. He requested to not placed back on his team. He wanted to try solo missions, to see all that he had learned on his training trip. Of coarse she couldn't say no to his request. So thats how it went. He would take a mission, complete it, then return and receive another one. Now in between these he would have stayed in town for a week, or a few days, then it shortened to and immediate farewell. She saw him rarely saw him but she never saw his smiling face again. There was almost nothing left of the boy he was before. After six years, double the time he was meant to be gone, she had enough. She was going to bring the boy back. He was going to smile again no matter what happened.

That plan had seemed wonderful when she had thought it up but now with everyone against him would he just fall further into waiting grave Konoha had forced him to dig?

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I am expecting this to be a long fic so I am hoping that y'all will stick with me through it.

It will probably be a yaoi since I like those so meh.

do you want to find out? What do you expect to happen?

Answer these questions tonight for homework children and you can submit them using that delightfully attractive button right bellow.


	2. Chapter 2

Review Replies:

akatsuki_tenshi_kitsune- Thanks! I'll try and update as fast as I can but I need reviews! I use your replies for inspiration for my story

Setsuna- YEY! You make me feel so loved! And thank you for doing your homework! Also it is going to be Ita/Naru, I find that pairing so cute! The past of Naru-chan's trip will be slowly revealed through out the story but it won't be too long. For what's going to happen I direct your attention to below this X3

Dragon's Rein- Aww thank you! I'm glad you want to read more. Hopefully Naru-chan will recover over time -wink- and Itachi's reason for being is in here now so yey for you! And you knooow our revenge fueled Sasuke is going to try and fight!

Kai- Thanks! Ummm....multi language words confuse me....but it will be Ita/Naru

ElementalFoxGoddess- Lol your review made me smile! Yes Naru-chan! Your emotionally challenged Knight in Shining Armor will save you!

(I love replies!!! If you put in what you want/think/hallucinate will happen it will help and inspire me to write more! So pleaaase Review and Enjoy!)(Oh yeah I do Not own Naruto)

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The oh so familiar scowl fitted over the pale face of the man. Years ago, when he had returned to this village, he had expected his past and annoying teammate to great him with words over a respectable volume. Instead the where abouts of the blond remained under wraps. So there he was. Trapped in between a mental teacher, a fangirl of a teammate, and lastly the emotionless and bothersome as hell Sai. Now he could go and kill them all in return for the torture they give him everyday. Firstly Kakashi was the one who would teach him the rest he needed to know to get ride of his brother. Sakura was now stronger than anything since she had gone under the teaching of Tsunade. Lastly..there was just something about Sia that made him uneasy.

Now that the dobe was back the torture was going to be over right? Right?

Looking over the boy who only came up to around his nose he couldn't help but cringe. He was small and short like before, minus the baby fat that caused his face to look slightly round. His blond hair had grown out, probably long enough to place in a small ponytail, and it had lost its outrageous spiky quality. No these aspects did not bother him. It was his face, his eyes, his voice. They were gone. Blue that would make the skies above bow down had faded into a gray that looked as if it should join the depressing clouds above. His smile that would brighten even a mourning persons spirits had been tamed into a fine line without a trace of its former self. His voice...was unacceptable. It sounded submissive, guilty even.

He could tell that Sakura had noticed it too but she was more concerned about the boy's health. How could he have even stepped out of the house like that? Snow was freely falling around them, bringing its harsh temperature with it. Sai and him had enough sense to at least bring some extra clothing but the dobe was dressed as if it was the middle of Summer. He must be able to feel it, his skin was growing paler after all.

The inner rant was interrupted by the dark figure next to him stepping forward and approaching the pair in the blood flavored snow. Sai's lips stretched into his always sickening fake smile as he reached out his hand in order to shake the blond's in greeting "So you must be the Naru-chan I have heard so much about, yes? I understand why you ran away and left me to be your replacement." Sakura and Sasuke looked at the other boy oddly at his statement. How could he know why Naruto left them for so many years? Or was there really any reason behind it at all, wasn't it just a training trip? "Such a pretty girl like you just couldn't stand staying with an ugly hag and a traitor."

A pause went through the scene as Sasuke and Sakura glared at their odd teammate. He had just managed to insult them all in one sentence...The forever brooding one grunted in annoyance while the pink fangirl smacked the boy over the head for the unneeded statement, now all that was left was Naruto's reaction. Two stared in awe while the third looked on in bewilderment. The blond calmly reached forward and shook Sai's hand while keeping his face just as the same as before. "Forgive me, but that is not the reason I left and I am a male." His voice sounded guilty, he did mislead this boy after all.

Sakura blinked repeatedly for some time before she could muster a sentence. "Na..Naruto! He just insulted you! Didn't you notice the part where he called you a girl?" The blond lowered his gaze to the ground, searching for a way to answer her question. Why should he fight back anymore? If he did he would have to fight back every one that did so, and eventually the place he was meant to serve would be his enemy. The vessel was somewhat saved when an explosion of smoke entered on the bridge. Once it cleared the three students could clearly see their sensei standing there, classic orange book in hand. "Well I see everything is going swimmingly. Well I didn't plan anything for today so go home my minions. Report back here same time tomorrow." With his covered nose still buried in the crease of his book he waved the young ones away with his free hand. It didn't take long for the four to eventually set off in their separate ways.

--Outside Of Konoha--

Water dripped at a depressing pace from the reversed hills on the ceiling of the cave. Any traces of hope giving light were forcefully shrouded from the carved hallway, leaving the only guide to be the orange glow from the torches of fire hung dutifully on the stone walls. Silence reined in this place, but if one searched enough the deep echoes of voices would lead them to a large and tightly closed door. Inside was a meeting of men. All quiet, as if testing one another. Seeing who could take the maddening lack of sound the longest. There was never a winner, for before one could snap and show what this horrible existence had done, how it made holes formed through his very own brain leaving it unable to comprehend the white from the black, the leader would speak.

"I understand that the Kyuubi has been spotted once more" The shadowed figure spoke, his rippled eyes raking over the still dolls before him.

A deformed creature appeared from the thickest shadows. His skin was polar opposite, split down the middle as his body seemed to be dumped on this earth by a human against nature and a plant. "The Jinchuuriki has returned to his former team leaving him open for attack." The dark shadow of a man nodded in approval of this information but one seemed to not see the point.

A man resembling a shark rose an eyebrow and openly spoke, making himself one of the very few that ever did, "Why would it be any better now? Sure he doesn't have one of the legendary three by his side at all times, but now he'll be with a full team of ninja to help him battle."

Even though most of his features where hidden except for his haunting eyes the leader seemed to have a wicked grin on his face, "That is just it. The other ninjas accompanying the Jinchuuriki will with hold him from fighting to his full ability like he had against us before. The younger generation of the village is still innocent of knowing of the demon that walks amongst them so I suspect the thing will want to keep it that way to save himself the trouble." The others made no movement but there was a silent signal that must have been able to show they all agreed. "Now I have a choice two of you I will send for the retrieval. Sasori you will go to incapacitate any enemies that come near and kill them with what ever way you see fit." Turning to his next toy he continued, "Understanding that the vessel is weak against genjutsu, you will go to quickly defeat him and bring it back for the extraction, and only that, Itachi."

--Next Morning; Konoha--

Early winds washed their way into the decrepit building, that was in no way looking like something livable. The base structure had slowly weakened over time, the frequent raids and abuse all accelerating the process until the multi-story building curved to the side, making it appear that one good wind could finish the job. The roof was infested with a diverse selection of vermin and was slowly rotting away, to allow water to seep through. The room of the demon child was frighteningly cold, and if one took the time to notice they would see that the temperature would measure out to be around fifteen degrees. Snow flurried into the room through the broken windows, as if mailing the message that the dead of winter was there at last. The rooms were empty, no forsaken child to be found at first, but looking closer one could see a huddled mass in the alcove of a closet. The fox child saw this place as a safety zone. It blocked a fair amount of wind protecting him from falling sick.

Now he did not particularly care for his own health but he cursed this world and they took him in. To repay their kindness he would have to be their perfect weapon so in no chances could he fall ill. There was no warning of the nearing sunrise to tell the blond to wake but contrary to the lack of support, gray eyes fluttered open. Standing from his position it made its way directly to the door where he had left his sandals, since he had not changed clothes to try and preserve warmth he was already prepared.

The trip through town was just the same as before, only this time he was gifted with a stone to the temple. Feeling his poisonous blood flow down his neck he did not beg for forgiveness, he deserved every ounce of this he could receive. Lowering his head in shame the demon walked on, villagers watching it. Most of the eyes glared after the abomination and killer of their families but there were a choice few that seemed confused. Why did the devil not strike back?

The bridge was populated once more when the blond arrived. The figures were dressed warmly unlike the boy but he seemed not to care. The darkly dressed ones leaned in a non-caring fashion while the pink one seemed to be waiting for something. His footsteps alerted them just like before and once again they raised their eyes to see a bloodied team mate. Neither male made a move but Sakura ran towards the seemingly injured and fretted. "Naruto! Yo..You're bleeding again! What happened?" The gash had closed sadly so the blond knew he would cause anger by not honoring their efforts to help him. His silence did not seem to slow down the woman before she found a new subject to scold him for, "And what happened to your clothes? You do realize it's in the middle of winter don't you?" The kyuubi only nodded, but that fact only seemed to frustrate the girl more, "Well? Why don't you dress accordingly?" Silence only greeted her and the pinkett sighed at the lack of communication. Nothing was like it was before he left was it? Reaching she grasped her large scarf and started to tug it off. "I don't want you to get sick so you-" A hand placed on top of hers' caused the potentially positive action to pause. Following the hand the team was once again reunited with Kakashi's eye smile.

"Now now Sakura. If Naruto is too irresponsible to even dress himself correctly then you shouldn't punish yourself for his stupidity, neh?"

The original two looked at their teacher thoroughly confused but never received an answer since the masked man was looking at Naruto for conformation. Was he also waiting for one of the outbursts the young ninja used to be so well known for?

Gray eyes met black and the proclaimed demon slipped and allowed his breath to be caught in his lungs as the pressure of salted liquid pressed the back of his eyes. That eye...that same eye that used to curve in a believable friendly manner. The one his former Genin self craved to seek approval from. It was the same as the others. Just like the multitude of the same body that surrounded him tightly, depriving his stressed mind of sleep. To the others it might have seemed harmless but behind a thin layer was disgust..hatred. The shattered pieces of himself seemed to be sucked away in a vacuum in an instant. It felt that no matter how much he screamed, even if his breath misted red with blood, no sound would escape. He was alone in this world. Even if there where his former friends standing around him, he could no longer touch them...For their safety he must avoid them to keep from tainting their beautiful lives.

The shattering of a Soul can take one Instance

The contamination of a Mind only calls for a sick Lie believed by All

When all that is left is Emptiness and Insanity

Is there still Road ahead of You to Follow?

This experience of having the coffin bolted above you only took seconds. The kyuubi was thankful. He would not want to hinder the team before him. "Forgive me for my insolence..." He stared at the red polka dotted snow, not wanted to see the disgust in their eyes. Sakura looked on, guilt contaminating her flawless features. Sasuke stared on with a risen eyebrow at the strange conversation. Sai tilted his head curiously as he stared at the blond. Even for a girl he knew this was odd behavior.

Clapping his hands together in a delighted fashion, their deranged sensei started to give orders for the day. "Now now children. Sai, Sasuke I want you two to spar but please travel deeper in the woods this time so that the rest of us do not have another lesson in dodging." Sasuke glared in annoyance as well as embarrassment before following after Sai, who had just shrugged. "Now Sakura I want you to go to the hospital to see if you mastered that technique I showed you last week." The girl looked at the tall man and started on her way. Once everyone had set off for their own interests an uncharacteristic glint made its way into the man's eye.

The demon's eyes stayed fixated on the ground but either way it could feel the gaze on itself. "Now that I am ordered to train you, why don't we see if you still have that endurance?" His teacher's voice rolled in a frightening way but obeying orders the blond got into a defensive battle stance. "No, no you won't be fighting me. My hands were just washed anyway." The words were said in such a casual tone that the demon pondered if it was right if they stung. "Your assignment for today is to beat the middle post with your fists until you can no longer stand." The cyclops grinned underneath his mask, waiting for the screams that were sure to come. With his team mates now gone and had a very low chance of returning to see how this was going the demon could not disobey. Surprizingly the thing followed orders nicely and started the task he was set to. Getting in a comfortable possition the Jounin pulled out his book. Technically it was training.

The sun had gone to the climax of its acrobatic act and was now descending, closing the curtain to allow his partner to begin her show. The dark children had gone to their empty homes, the pink haired one had been welcomed at the end of her journey, and the one eyed had grown bored of his self made show and had left. No one was there to hear the steady beat. Skinless fists met the wooden posts causing revealed vessels to pop and tear. Blood flavored fireworks erupted at every meeting. The bones underneath were decorated with web fractures and the forearm seemed to have a small slit right in the middle. This boy must feel no pain. His face was freckled red but nothing else adorned it. Oh no do not be deceived children. This is a devil of the fiercest types. Do not feel sympathy when the snow speeds its pace and almost blocks him from sight. Laugh at the blood showering him to repent his sins. Ignore it when he slides to the ground just as the moon is descending, allowing new layers of the floating ice to cover him. Just watch with us, for that is the demon.

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Alrighty that was major writers block but I hope you enjoyed! Now you know that Itachi and Sasori are going to enter the young blonds life, so that's bound to bring some new drama.

Note- this is an Itachi/Naruto with one sided Sasu/Naru

Homework:

Who should Naru-chan be found by?

Review my lovelies and I will be able to write faster!


	3. Chapter 3

Stargazer- Lol I've been getting a lot of things about Kakashi being evil and yes. He is in fact being a meany but his hate is justified. And for his savior? Well that will be coming...

Psychoanxiety- I would love to add Neji in but now might be too soon. But thank you! You just gave me some great ideas!!

SSJ5Gokurulez- ..... 0.o ...Now I think that might be a little out of line...

You cannot DEMAND me to do something! I am Kami in this story!!

Namikaze Naruko14- Thank you! I hope you stay to read the rest of this story

MadMonki- Yes Naru-chan's life is not looking so uppy and happy but maybe it will start looking up in this chapter?

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Yeppers! Sasu and Sak are being nicer and for your vote for who finds him you'll have to see what I picked bellow -.^ ..that's supposed to be winking Oh and thank you for reviewing on both chapters ^w^  
it makes me feel loved

Stella- Yesh I do say Konoha is just a wollop of babbling hippopotamuses (British Voice)

Yes Tsunade is trying her best and sorry about taking so long to update! I caught the flu or something and writing is not good with a head full of cotton

Setsuna- Lol sorry if I'm making every one mad with Konoha's emotion detachment... T^T  
I'm happy about the Ita-Naru-ness too! **fangirl squeel**

ElementalFoxGoddess- Oh you're back! Yey! Oh yes Naru-Chan will need his seme to..'teach' him some things -giggles- Oh and I love your reviews! Please stick with me!

Akatsuki-tenshi-kitsune- Tobi..? How would that work?

Lex- I'm glad you're getting into my stories so much! I will try my best to please you!

Thedragonninjamurcury- I'm writing as fast as I can!! -laptop catches on fire- EEEEH?! How is that possible?!

General16- lol I was surprised I could write something so depressing myself since I live in a purple and pink room....and spell check is my lover, all I need is a lovely Beta ^^

FoxxyWeasel- Yesh Kaka-chan is being a big B currently.

If you like that you're in the right place!!

Half-Tongue- I found a better way to establish that kind of relationship the only way an Uchiha can! Jealousy

ooxshinobixoo- a lot of people seem to be getting mad at me cause of Kakashi....

Imperial Mint- LE GASP! The famous Mint is reviewing one of my measly stories?!?! I feel honored! X3...Mint...I love you...You're review made me decide the entire past between Naru and Ita.. Now you know when I said that reviews inspire me was not a lie ^w^ I felt in a serious mood so I wrote it sad.. poor Naru-chan and his suffering from my mood swings. And you are correct about the age -nods- Oh and since your rambling came up with half of my story please continue!!!

*****NOTICE*****

I'm looking for a BETA Reader. I don't care if you're a registered one or not. Yes it does mean that you will be looking for spelling errors, but you will also be reading my chapters far before they are published, brainstorm with me on what will happen next (Plot wise and romantically), and you will have as much say in this story as I do. Please respond to this in a review or email me at love_the_ if you are interested!

I love you all! ^w^

The horrid events of the previous night had eventually passed leaving a clearing in strangled silence. The dreary morning sun reflected off the mask of snow through the film of black clouds above. Three posts stood as innocently as they had always been, the demon's blood and flesh that had found refuge deep inside the aged wood invisible to passerbyes. Below the posts was a particularly large mound of the crystallized water. To blackened hearts that was all it was. They disregarded that it was so thin that the body under the sheet could not be hidden. They grinned at the site of lips turned blue and skin bleached white.

Glistening blond hair fanned the fallen demon, insulting all above by making it appear it had gained a halo. As if such a wretched thing deserved a gift as blessed as that. Slowly empty eyes opened. They shifted to the bloodied post and were settled once more in despair. He did not last long enough...he should have been able to do more than that. Trying to shift his limbs only allowed it to realize that they had lost their feeling. He could feel the fox inside of him fueling his system with poisonous material that ironically healed him. His vision wavered as the cold around his seemed to increase.

The Kyuubi child was aware that it needed to find shelter so that he would be able to heal. The ancient demon could only keep its vessel alive to a certain degree while it was constantly on slaughted by ice, nudging him closer to dieing from hypothermia. Slowly the small blond attempted to rise, thin sheets of snow falling from his feminine form only to crumble into surroundings just like itself. His mind was muffled, everything around him fading into white noise that held no meaning to him. Raising what might as well be gaping sockets to the blurred world around him all he saw was a white wonderland of snow. Crawling to his knees, such a fitting position don't you think, he tried to stand, not knowing that this was one action the ones around him would never allow. The land of white was slightly different this time. Two odd figures shrouded in black and red stood at the barrier of sleeping trees. The jinchuuriki's mind was much too slow to comprehend this new development. Why were their eyes only on him? Why were they drawing nearer?

A muffled noise sounded in the distance, from the direction of the bridge were the team he had joined met. The dark figures stopped short in their way towards him. The noise came again but seemingly louder. His world started to spin and fade just as the mysterious figures disappeared into the trees they had originated from. As the small boy fell to the snow he wondered if it was all just a dream.

- - - - -

It took a large expanse of time before the demon boy was well enough to open his eyes once more. At first he just lied there before a few key facts in this situation made him confused. Why was it so warm around him? This particular feeling had abandoned him over the past years since his home was unable to heat itself and he had been on missions instead of staying there. Speaking of his home it had never had such a solid, white ceiling. What he remembered was that it gradually sunk in towards the middle and was colors varying to brow and gray. Taking in a breath to gather himself the blond almost sneezed when the smell of ink and spices assaulted his nose.

With the foreign smell doing its part realization dawned on him and he quickly rose from his position, attempting to take in his surroundings quickly. Feeling something slide off of him he looked down to see there were numerous blankets covering his bare body. The fact that he was lacking the clothing he had worn earlier was odd. Why would someone take him from the training field and then undress him unless- The demon's eyes widened in pain as memories suddenly resurfaced, ones that he tried to blind himself to. He had been so small when it had happened. He had stayed too late at school, struggling to gain the skills he obviously lacked. He was then forced to take the back roads to his home when he was stopped by men wearing jounin vests. They had undressed him also and sadly the child had stayed conscious the entire time to remember it all.

A noise in the next room over brought the demon back to his plight. The animal waited, his muscled clenched, ready to defend himself against a possible attacker while his face remained hallow. The soft steps came closer until the figure turned into the opening of the room. What happened next left the demon in perplexed silence. The darkly dressed boy held a tray of food with steam slowly swirling off of it in undignified patters while his eyes were locked on the wording of a book.

"You know that little girls should not stay out it the snow for so long?" Lowering his book the enigma labeled as Sai tilted his head to side and stretched his lips to what humans called a 'smile'. A fake mask meeting a shattered one. "From what I have read you should have been dead hours ago." With the cheerfulness dancing between his words one might forget what this conversation contained.

The proclaimed demon child looked on at the boy, an emotion other than guilt showing on his face. His eyes were wide in confusion while his mind stumbled over the events being thrown at it in a barrel roll. His soft lips parted in uncertainty "..Wh..Why?"

The boy ignored his question and closed the distance between them. "If you're wondering about your clothes they're being washed. I read that with them you wouldn't be getting any better with them on. I also gave you a bath, although I bet you don't mine that since you were clearly in need of one." Bending down he set the tray of steaming miso soup in the blond's lap. "The next thing to do is give you something warm to eat to fuel your immune system. I suppose this kind of thing should be left for the hag to do but I remember hearing something about girls getting jealous of one another easily." The familiar puppet smile was present once again.

The smaller of the two didn't have a chance to question again before the painter left the room to continue his activities. Maybe he should just be thankful? Lifting the warm liquid into his mouth his body shivered at the sensation. The warm broth traveling down his startlingly dry throat to settle into his shriveled stomach. How long had it been since he had food like this? During missions all he had was what he could hunt or scavenge. When he returned to the village most of the money he earned went straight to rent and other strange bills that people said he had to fulfill. When he was younger he used to gorge himself on ramen thinking the more he ate the more he could preserve so that he would be hungry less. Little did he know that it just made his stomach bigger so he would need food more frequently. Now he practiced eating as little as he could so that if he had to go hungry there would not be that much pain.

His spoon clattered at the bottom of the now empty bowl, himself now thoroughly satisfied. Wanting to repay the favor he grasped the tray in his hands and readied himself to swing his legs over the side of the bed, only is plans were not able to complete themselves. Before he could make even the smallest movement the tray in question was gently yet firmly taken from his tan hands by black gloved ones. Looking up with bewildered eyes he saw Sai's smiling face. "One of the steps in the book is rest so I must ask you to not move." With that the strange boy stood and turned in the direction of what must have been the kitchen but the unanswered questions in Naruto's mind started a revolution and took over his control. Before either could tell what was happening the demon reached out and grasped the back of the short cut shirt. "Forgive me but...Why..are you helping me..?" After the words crawled over his lips he was too late to realize his mistake. How could he question this human's motives? These things were kind creatures, they needed no motive to do good deeds.

The small demon lowered his eyes to the floor. He would never be able to hold the smallest waning light to these magnificent suns. The feeling of pale fingers running through his hair brought the boy back from his rotting tunnels called thoughts. Looking up he watched as his new team mate drew back his hand. "I had heard from the pitiful excuses of a ninja that are my teammates that this boy named Naruto was the most annoying kid they had ever had the displeasure of getting to know." The happy words stung the demons skin as if it was being eaten away by the red chakra that was meant to protect him. Sai took a breath, getting ready to continue but Naruto didn't want to hear it very much anymore. "Yet, overtime, their description of this strange teammate started to change. They still called you things along the lines of you being clumsy or stupid but then they continued and said that's why they were there. So over time I was awaiting to see this bottled sunshine but when I finally do I discover that you are even more iced over than the emo boy. After research I learned that being nice to people and taking care of them can make them happy so I plan to continue this treatment until you return to your former self Naruto Uzumaki." The normal fake face was now one set in cold stone. This boy was serious.

Light gray eyes looked up into black. His face was blank but his eyes showed confusion. To Sai it was a start. They boy once again opened his mouth to find lost words but they faded in undiscovered darkness when knocking sounded in the distance. The moment where damaged and sewn together hearts reached out to each other dispersed like frightened birds and then evaporated, making any chance of the momentous wings settling into place once more impossible. With one more pat on the blond's hair Sai dismissed himself. The thought of strangers invading this new peaceful feeling caused the demon child's spirits to drop. Lowering down to the softness of the couch tan hands brought the blankets up to his chin in an attempt to hide himself. The door opened with a sharp click and he listened to the voices, who's sources alluded him.

"Ah, hello Sai. We thought that you would be injured since you missed practice this lovely afternoon." It was his teacher. His voice seemed more cheerful than usual. The fact made the Kyuubi happy somewhat.

"Sorry to disappoint you Kakashi but I am perfectly fine. I have just been taking care of a little girl I found in the snow this morning." Sai's voice was the master of the theater. He could choose any mask he particularly cared for that day and nail it to his own face, yet no one would take notice of the blood that stained it.

A chuckle sounded from the teacher. "Oh you did now? Who is this pretty little thing?"

Silence reined for a few moments from Sai but Kakashi continued in his mirthful giggles "Why do you ask when you yourself know her, and was the reason she was there in the first place?" The demon felt his stomach drop. This boy wasn't going to tell Kakashi that he was here was he? Let this man uncover the fact that his new student had failed horribly in his task.

The giggles pause for a moment and the man's voice turned to confusion, "I can not imagine what girl you're talking about...Well any girl in you age group I must honestly say. I do obey the laws you know."

He could almost see Sai's face twist into one of those smiles that clearly stated that he knew something his victim did not. "You are so forgetful Kakashi-san. I believe her name is Naru-chan. I found her asleep underneath the posts this morning. I brought her back here and cleaned her up since she was covered in blood. You wouldn't know what happened to her, would you Kakashi-san?" His voice was still the same his puppeteer directed it to be but somehow the doll seemed to be letting his own emotions slip through his wooden mouth.

The air was invaded by a tense and angry feel. Once it was there all traces of mirth and jokes were viciously taken a hold of and had a barbed dagger thrust into their gut. Swiftly the dagger slid upwards in a smooth motion until it was tipped out by the sharp curve of the jaw bone. Entrails peaked out of the folds of the opened stomach before falling and sliding over each other and to the pristine floor sloppily with a disturbing squelching noise. The jaw went into an unlively state, making it appear as if it was simply unhinged and only the thin layer of skin and flesh was keeping the attachment with it by a slipping grip as the material slowly stretched, thinning to reveal the spiderweb of veins holding blue, thick, syrup that would soon turn into a flattering red, that was currently lulling over the white teeth of the bottom jaw only to dribble down the chin and onto the divided chest. The sweet liquid came from organs popped like balloons and a hole that made its way through the soft and vulnerable underside of the chin, only to make its grand re-appearance at the strangely colored underside of the tongue, effectively splitting the long, flexible, muscle in half.

"Naruto..is in here with you?" His voice was angry yet..was that fear...anxiety? It was like a parent talking to a child that held a snake in their innocent, chubby, hand.

"Why yes Kakashi-san she is. She had just woken up too but I think now would be an inopportune time to see her. Girls such as she need their beauty rest you see." The directors voice had returned, his puppet now fully restrained with wires dripping poison. It was a light and airy tone. As if nothing was wrong anymore and this entire conversation was held in a field of blooming sakura trees.

"Now Sai I think it's in your best interest if you-"

"Take her home once she feels up to it? Yes I was thinking the same moments ago. Now if you excuse me I have other things to attend to today." With that Naruto heard the door shut, finalizing the conversation to an end. The sound of Sai's footsteps heading back to the room reminded the small demon that the anger that had just conspired was because of him. Does this strange boy now realize how much hardship associating with a demon will bring? Pray to Kami he did before it was too late.

When Sai re-entered the room his obsidian eyes immediately fell on the child-like image before him. His new team mate had huddled in between the covers, his large pale eyes looking worriedly at him from there hiding place. The boy just smiled, for him this expression was easier to make near this wounded soul. He ignored the depressing aura that seemed to stalk this boy and cling to him with blackened nails. Placing his hand on the still slightly feverish forehead of the demon he bid the little blond farewell as he sank in to the endless world of dreams with fear in those dead eyes.

- - - - - - - - -

Black skies with red clouds covered the fallen body of the last effective sharingan, not one just consumed by revenge or greed. Earth was overturned into rubble, scorched by unrecognizable attacks, and blushing innocently as crimson was fed to it. Other than this dieing individual there were no other humans to share his pain or come to his aid. All that stood across from him was a monster. A small body was drenched in a strange red liquid that slowly defied what ever gravity that was present and floated towards its enemies in the heavens. It tore at his tan unblemished skin, happily seeping into the very unknown reaches of the small body, taking the raging emotions to its own advantage.

Red eyes ripped open with catlike slits stared down at the damaged and failing body of his "enemy". This was why bonds should be cut. Demons were not meant for human affection. He was a weapon, made to fight until the smiling faces of his homeland had their fill of the tainted blood that fueled his sin-filled existence. And then, in thanks of their kind deeds, a dry corpse will fall to the ground, taking his rightful place in hell.

- - - - - - - - - -

Sky blue eyes were gone from existence. When they reopened in the kind human's home they were a gray that did not belong in raging storms but in emotionless and tired fog. As if hearing the slight quickening of breath that consciousness brought Sai appeared by the couch double tasking as a bed. "Did you enjoy your rest Naru-chan?"

His happy tone was not returned, "Forgive me for imposing on your day."

If the dark boy was not so trained a tick would have surely appeared on a pale temple, "No worries Naru-chan. I already redressed you so no need to go through those steps of waking up. Now why don't we escort you home before you're missed?"

He met no argument.

The walk through the streets of Konoha was a difficult one. The demon knowing the danger he was putting Sai in tried to maintain at least three feet in between them at all time. That goes with the boy's resistance of this strategy. Since he had company on this trip there were no projectiles for his misdeeds yet the harsh looks and poison tipped whispers remained intact. The forced steps that guided the sacrifice deeper into acceptance did not last long enough. They had passed through the buildings around his residence, the building around slowly lowering in value until all that remained were forgotten shells that no one cared to repair or maintain. The blond walked up to an empty and rotting apartment building an almost made it through the door before he noticed something missing. The dark boy had stopped and was currently looking up at the building with an unreadable expression. When his musings where interrupted and he continued on this, the real world, they continued.

Steps groaned with renewed vigor as not only one vial demon took advantage of their immobile state but as his stalker did also. Unknown the the disguised kyuubi, his companion was studying things he usually would not. Black eyes drank in the steps bellow him. Unlike the demon he saw the holes, the nails sticking out alert to impale any that passed by, and the occasional case of nothing there at all to display the heaps of trash on the floor below. He saw the black colonies of mold on the rotting wooden walls. The holes lining the hallway where rats had made a home for themselves. The absence of any electrical lighting leaving starving holes filled with blackness leading to unknown tragedies. Wires hung from the absence snapping every few seconds in a futile attempt to light something. When the two arrived at the blond's room he saw the graffiti and door broken into so many times it just lifelessly hung on half of its hinges, no longer willing to protect such a troublesome child. Inside he could see insects holding questionable innocence. Rats living comfortably in an overturned fridge that had also made a series of holes through the apartment for easier means of travel. There were no longer any windows, just hazardous openings lined with spikes of glass that also stylishly decorated the floor.

"No" It was just one stern word. There were no loops for interpretation. He was denying this harsh reality. The residence of this hell turned to him in question. "You are not going to live here Uzumaki."

The vessel's eyes widened and he started to protest, "But...the villagers allow me to live here..I should be thankful." Who ever said that ignorance is bliss should rethink their moral standings.

Sai's eyes narrowed at this boy who dared deny his own right to live. No back up the villagers, who were currently forcing him to stay in a building that should have been condemned years ago. He would not even argue this. At one moment the boys stood at comfortable distance from each other but now the demon is pushed against the wall with the other boy holding him in that position. The painter looked deep into those damaged eyes. He attempted to see the mechanics of this boy. Tried to see what had gone wrong, what gear had loosened to spiral out of sanity.

"I refuse to allow you to stay here any longer. You will be living with me from now." He left no room for argument as the pair disappeared in a swirl of smoke, the same substance rising from the ground in the dark boy's home. Sitting Naruto down on the couch and handing him the same set of blankets he had used before. With a simple good night the boy left to his own room.

Now the kyuubi could have left. He could have stood from the comfort given to him. Just gone back to the home that was gifted to him before this one. But why? Humans were pure creatures, and that would never change.

- - - - - - -

The next rising of the sun was met by the fact that he somehow always woke up when he needed to. Once more, an ability he was not worthy of. The demon rose from the couch and headed for what he believed to be the kitchen. He was forced to stop short when the much darker and taller figure stood directly in his path.

"Good morning Sai-san." He said this with a bit more happiness from thankfulness and a little less guilt from his existence.

"Good morning little Naru-chan." His voice the same bland brand of cheer but now it was in an upgraded flavor that was just released the other day. You are lucky to hear it, you know? The small boy walked by after the exchange and attempted to leave but his plans were thwarted when a pair of arms wrapped around him from behind. "Where are you going Naru-chan?" These actions and closeness where odd, new, strange, yet strangely not hated.

"We need to go to training don't we?" Sai felt a knowing chuckle rise like bile in the back of his throat, but there was one difference between those two substances. He could hold this one back.

"We have time to spare don't we? And you aren't going to step out in this weather like that are you? Last night was the last time I would have let you do such a thing." It was true. When they had visited that funeral of a building his little girl has only been donned in a spare pair of boxers and in a shirt much too big for him.

"Then may I have my clothes back?" Another of those amused chuckles struggled to let it self known

"No"

"May I ask why not?" His voice was so soft, innocent but now it was mixed with confusion that made it even more adorable. Maybe if he was able to accomplish his self proscribed mission it would be even cuter with emotions not chained down like a common dog.

"I burned them."

"....Come again please?"

"They were disgusting and unhealthy for these conditions. Since I name you as my ward from now on you will only wear what I allow you to. And since we have stumbled upon this subject let us get you ready Naru-chan." With that Sai handled the malnourished boy as if he would his daughter and picked him up bridal style. He led them both to his room and striped his blond down to that he could restart this from scratch. Oddly there was no emotions of embarrassment from his victim. He dressed the smaller one in a black long sleeved shirt; one of the few he owned that did not cut off at the stomach, tight matching black shorts that cut off above the knee; they fitted this a second skin and Sai faintly remembered the pink girl wearing something like this under her dress only those were shorter and the blond wore them much better, a pair of black snow boots, and a think long black scarf that almost covered his Naru-chan's lips. He combed through the boy's hair so that it flipped out slightly then leaned back and smiled at his creation. She looked adorable and he was certain someone other than just himself would miscall the boy's gender.

"Let's go Naru-chan." He said happily as he pulled the blank girl behind him. Grabbing his own scarf Naruto shut the door on their way out.

- - - - - - - -

Sorry for me taking so long! T^T I hope you forgive me! I made the chapter longer...or tried to...maybe?

Homework-

Review! Give me your ideas! Want something funny happen? Will those figures Naru-chan saw while he was on the edge of consciousness return? Want a new character to make a grand entrance for the next or future chapters?

Do not believe that your reviews do not matter! Many of your reviews are incorporated in these three chapters. You just might not recognize them because I twist them into new and stranger colors. Mint gave me a lengthy reply that is now going to be the entire past of Naruto and Itachi. I also need a BETA that will be with at all times during the chapters and not just at the end.

I LOVE YOU ALL ^w^!!!!

...press the button....precious button of my love.....


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry for not updating in such a long while. You should thank my roommate..Apparently we both love fanfiction (Naruto) with a passion and I let her see my story. Sadly she saw the last update and is now whipping me to my desk to write...god I love her.

Sai strode victoriously to the bridge with his new toy's wrist grasped firmly in his gloved hand. Occasionally he would glance back at his possession and smirk at the look at confusion on his partly covered face. The scarf assisted his flipped out blond strands to cover the whisker marks that branded him to his current life, so that it was rare for the weak minded villagers to recognize him. Although he did have to pull the blond closer when some of the looks she received became too intimate for his standards. This was his rose and he would not allow blinded speakers of sorrow to enjoy the sight of her just because her name was hidden underneath a scarf. Eventually the bridge came into view, and as planned two reoccurring figures waited patiently for the curtain to unveil a show that they had never expected to take place.

The snow was lighter today, only gracing the blooded ones with their presence in the occasional gust of stronger wind. The clouds had thinned allowing the sun to claw through its confines, desperate to feel its chaotic creations once more. Was there hope for life again? Of course Spring always came again, but for some reason...this winter seemed to take more than just the color of the trees.

Unlike the awkward greeting the broken team had barely participated in the day before, due to Sai's kind hearted deeds it was, instead, quite amusing. When the Sakura girl had looked up to identify who was approaching their sacred meeting spot, recognition did not spark to life in her eyes when she saw the small blond. Matter of fact, it did not strike those emerald gems until they noticed the boy's companion and put two and two together. Such a smart girl.

"Naruto-kun...?" Her voice was unsure of itself as it slipped through her airways. As if it was trying to decide that what it was conveying was correct or if its owner had finally snapped.

The boy in question turned his pale eyes towards her. His dark painter could decorate the shell that blocked the too well known wonders of this glorious world from this damaged beauty, yet there was something that they could not grasp in their upturned palms. This object...fact...gift? It took time to grow. To care for and watch in fascination as its shining petals grew to trust you and finally unfurled, showing to the crowd below a shy center that would be damaged by the smallest slap of wind. This had been a beautiful and large flower and every living being that ever passed by it admired it. As their friends lit it from below, they all watched the red glow engulf it with smiles of remembrance on their twisted faces. After their gift had reached its final stages, the gasping gleam of this sun finally gave the onlookers what they wanted. It closed its eyes and gently grasped its own throat so that they would not be reminded of the happiness it had robbed of them. Instead it let them all dance and cheer as blood soaked their ankles and her ashes fell upon them.

The pink mother ignored the effects of the parasite that had taken this corpse, for his sake and hers. Instead she gently placed her hands on his finally sheltered arms. This boy in front of her was so delicate. This child in front of him was so naive.

"I'm glad you're back Naruto." Grey eyes stared into hers. They showed no traces of what hideous plans were being formed behind their glassy surface but it was apparent there were. What else could that thing be thinking of. "I missed you." Her eyes were watery. They crinkled in the corners as her skin folded together from force of those pink lips stretching in what animals would take as a sign of aggression. How should he perceive this? He was so close to this human and it was showing kindness that was unworthy of him. He did not like her body so close. The red syrup, however sweet, would leave a bitter taste once he stole it. This is how he was meant to process her words. His red eyes and snarling muzzle dictated that. Being true to his word. His finally foreseeable path. His destiny. He backed out of her warm touch. Her eyes loosened until they looked blankly back into his. Her arms dropped, the offering of an embrace swept like lives under the rug. She had an uncaring look on her face but the world continued. All around him were smiles. The next day he would die a little bit more. The next day they would be able to breathe a little easier.

This is what he had to see. He was not allowed to see the concerned frown. The hesitance to push forward and embrace her peoples' greatest sin. The disappointed frown on his dark guardian's face. The curious glint in eyes that reminded him so much of spinning ones. If he caught just the faintest taste of this warm ecstasy he would grow to believe it was right. That he could somehow repent, deserve, and somehow protect them from himself. These all were lies made by his contaminated mind.

Soon enough, the earth's dry and gritted crust seemed to let out a sigh, letting out a column of smoke. Their sensei was produced from this happening. He gave the two dark children and the pink girl a welcoming two fingered wave, the demon stood in the distance unwanted and unneeded. The man spoke of having a day made for purely training, his reason to get used to their new teammate. It was to be three against one, or four if the mourning man decided to join the little games they played. While he told the pure children to try their best and to not hold back against him there was a certain breed of gazes that were sent to the Kyuubi. There was to be no power coming from that thing's side that had even the smallest potential to injure the humans. The gray eyes remained passive at this. This man had gone through so much, this was the least his repulsive self could do as payment. He had taken away his father figure...taken so many things. That cold stone was still bleeding the tears from the cuts in the shape of lost loved ones. Like others, this man was afraid of him. Fear leads to anger, Anger leads to hate, Hate leads to suffering and it was his duty to take those feelings away from those grieving men and women and add them to his own. It mattered not. He was a demon. A sword through the gut healed as if it was nothing. It only made sense that he should take on their mental wounds as well. They would break under this, but his poisoned breath would remain in its steady rhythms until these people were happy once again.

The fight was an uneventful one. This monster had been trained to see blood as water, tears as rain. A small scuffle would not penetrate this mind. The Sakura child seemed to hold back against him. She must be afraid. Sai made a splendid performance. The figures of ink pounced at the blond, they were perfectly fine, yet they did not seem to use their entire strength.. In fact, the only one that seemed to take this seriously was the boy named Sasuke. He warped his way through the blonde's defenses, and usually when the demon would block, he allowed the hit to meet. Glass marbles just looked on at the attacking figure. He faintly remembered such a calm facade on the pale skin yet after every hit, anger and annoyance became more present. This was peculiar. The demon was giving the other boy what he must have wanted, to win the fight. Bruises faded as cooled fog when the damage was done. The Kyuubi would not hurt this pure child. The single eye of the teacher was there to make sure this hideous thing that suffocated these humans under a layer of thick oil would never rise again, like it should.

A growl reverberated from the dark boy before his leg was lifted and began to fly. Lying on the ground is not a very interesting activity, yet it holds some amusement when stars pass in front of you. They grow so bright that the rest of your vision is blackened. This makes the star happy. It's in the dark once more like it used to in the sky. So then it invites. Soon enough you have the entire solar system in your mind and your fascination blocks the pain that tries to be heard with every rush of passing blood.

So amused with what was before him, the demon paid no attention to the other boy pouncing on top of his fallen form. The new onslaught of punches and injuries didn't hurt. It was giving this dark boy relief was it not? If so, then this punishment was his pleasure.

The team looked on in shock at the scene. It seemed that the dark boy had finally snapped, not able to take the extreme changes presented to him. Disappointed eyes looked on for a few moments. So the boy was hoping for what was? For this empty shell of a boy to suddenly come to life at the mention of a challenge. Did he finally realize what he had done? The sharingan boy yelled down at the boy, telling him to get up, to fight back, anything that had happened years ago. But it was like attacking a corpse. The eyes just stared back at him, his words slipping over the skin and into the ground below. Soon enough Sai took it upon himself to remove the dark boy from his ward. This scene was just too depressing for the surrounding public. But it seemed the boy was not done yet. Anger was carved into his pale skin and red eyes looked down on the still figure in the snow. "Answer me!" The command caused the small boy to raise himself into a sitting position. Blood without a source blotted his skin. Eyes that barely registered reality studied the angry human before him. What had he done? This was not a usual reaction to his presence. He had allowed all of the hits to land, according to his memory this boy had enjoyed holding power.

Spinning eyes glared into his, "Who are you?"

What sort of question was that? Did this boy know of his true name? Could he see the red fur hiding beneath fake skin? The container's eyes glanced to the gray haired man for some sort of confirmation but the man just followed his student in the glares. What harm would it do now? The world knew of his tainted blood so why not these poor humans that attempted to treat him as one of their own. The sin of lying to them was too much to take, they should know what they had unknowingly touched. With acceptance, gray looked into red and black, but the words never had their chance to be birthed. The feel of leather pressed lightly against his lips as the warmth of another body pressed against his wet clothing. His chance at acceptance was fleeting and had passed. Now what had happened would cycle back and through. This was a sign that a secret must be kept just as that. There was no need to burden these small creatures with his knowledge.

The dark assailant turned his eyes to the space behind. A growl was made noticeable in his throat but the target failed to be disturbed. All it did was smile to confuse those around it. To keep the shroud of mystery appear to be open. "This is Naru-chan, or did you forget? I would think as an active shinobi such a sad little boy would not be allowed to have an ailment such as frequent memory loss"

There was nothing he could say, all he could do was watch as a faded companion drifted away in anger. The pink female followed afterwards, but not before sending what seemed a grateful glance to his caretaker. The teacher did not stay either. Instead he disappeared in the trademark column of soot and smoke, silently laughing of a plan well done.

The shock slowly faded from the clearing, leaving two figures to gather what was left behind. Gray eyes stayed content on focusing on the distant path that the young raven took to. Yet, it seemed his companion did not appreciate him dwelling on such things. Cold fingers lightly took hold of his chin as the free arm wrapped around his waist to pull the blond closer in an attempt to share some of the little warmth they held. Calm eyes stared into icy patches as he spoke, "Well that seems like all of the excitement we can handle for today. May I suggest we head home and change out of these wet clothes?" The painter knew that there would be no reply, but he would never herd his sweet girl around like an animal. His little one was treated as a beast, and then she became one. If she was treated as a human would the spark of life return?

The walk to the newly settled home was quiet, but not strangely so. Both companions gained comfort from the lack of voices. Away from the condescending eyes, sharp voices, and dark rooms. They took hidden routs as to not be seen, for when they are, all surrounding gazes take in is the illusion they created. These two creatures were for others amusement, never given the chance to stray and create a face of their own. Both were made as weapons, deprived of the warmth emotions granted, that a mother would wrap their child in, the pride of a father. One had held on desperately to humanity, the other faded away into the beast the humans wanted him to be.

Once the two had entered the apartment their muscles relaxed with the familiar smells. This was a good scent, not one of a foreign place, but ones that could be related to pleasant memories. The dark haired male placed a comforting hand of the small of his ward's back, slowly leading them to the room in the far back of their home. Removing his gloves he set to work on his people's creation.

Fingers lightly trailed down the wet fabric sinfully covering the stomach of this delightful creature. Dark eyes held onto those of the boy under his touch, but no emotion called to him from those smoky depths, even when his fingers folded under the hem to brush against surprisingly warm skin below. Dark fabric fell to the floor so now unblemished skin was set before him, but he did not gawk at the new site. No the real show was in steal blue eyes before him. For the first time they looked away from his, breaking the tangible quick breaths between them. A hand finally lifted to block eyes, but it was intercepted and gently replaced at its side. He took in the dark swirls and circles the blond was trying to hide. It was stupendous artwork but it was nothing in comparison to its canvas. Indulging on curiosity, he allowed his fingers to trace the seal, all the while watching the blonde's brows furrow slightly while his jaw set into place. An actual reaction from his small goddess? Testing his theory he applied more than the faintest touch to the stained skin. As he followed the distinct patterns his eyes studied the strangeness of what was before him. White teeth peaked out from beneath pale lips to bite down on the lower pink tissue. It seemed she was attempting to keep something back but failed as a small whimper was expelled from the small creature. It was not a sound of pain nor fear, but Sai had not studied enough to classify this certain breed, instead all left to do was comfort.

Raising his other hand, he curled it through blond hair to tuck it behind her ear. Leaning forward enough so the other was conscious of the feeling of his warm breath against skin, he allowed his tongue to moisten his lips before breathing out, "Beautiful". Light blue eyes turned her head in surprise to stare at him. A smile was the only persisting clue. Pressing his hand fully against the seal, the girl not showing a reaction this try, he placed his other against a scarred cheek. "I know what these markings mean and they stand for nothing. My Naru-chan is a pretty little girl despite what others want to believe." Her mouth opened to give a reply, yet for some time all she could expel was air, "No. No I'm sorry but I have foo-" This was not the first time that hand has been placed over her lips.

Yet, this was, in fact, the first time that Sai had glared at Naruto, but denying the disbeliefs were black, hardened eyes. "The village told you that you were a demon, but they lied. You are as human as I, all that is different is that you hold a demon but you are not consumed by it". His charge stared at him in disbelief, but the painter shared the feeling. The horrifying realization that he was the first one to utter such words to Naruto. Quickly he shifted back knowing if he didn't the blonde would sense his anger and re-direct it. His hands skillfully took care of her trousers before redressing her in warmer clothes for the night. During the process she stayed still and unresponsive, apparently in shock from the words he had spoken.

After dressing himself, he led the beauty out to the den where he sat her on the couch. He doubted with the way she stared out into space he could convince her to have a meal with him. Instead he laid her down and set the blanket on top of the small body. With that he turned from the room, he would see her tomorrow. Would what he said have effect?

"The affections are like lightening, you cannot tell where they will strike till they have fallen."

Jean-Baptiste Lacoraire

The following morning was like any other in routine, Sai awakening Naruto, feeding her breakfast, bringing her to the shower with himself, all of the things he did to try and return her to the life a human, and not the beast the village had abused her into being. As they stepped outside, into the winter morning, Sai reached for her hand, a common action he made to make sure she would stay on pace with him, yet he hadn't needed to. A warmth met his hand, glancing down he was surprised to see that Naru had reached for his hand. Looking back at the mop of blonde, he smiled at the girl who was shyly glancing from their hands to Sai's expression, waiting to see if the man turned angry. Much to the contrary, he tightened his grip on the young kitsune and pulled her closer. Usually he would release her before they reached the small group at the bridge but today he believed was one for progress, so they stayed connected even through the scrutinizing gazes of the villagers and their teammates. Sakura simply smiled at the pair and ran to join them, she spotted this as a movement also, the more human interaction, the better. Hugging the blond around the shoulders she greeted him and accompanied them back the bridge. The dark prince was there also, but only glared at the happy family. This was not the teammate he had left behind, it was a pitiful reconstruction of what they had known. What is there on the bridge with them now is a shell they play with, children pretending their favorite companion has returned, even though the adults look on, knowing that the past friend was lost long ago.

Yet the other two sane persons did not mind the scornful orphan, they paid attention only to their little girl, making sure to touch her whenever they could, tempting her to talk with them. Unlike the raven, they saw the boy was not gone, just lost down a dark road shrouded with many thorns and twisting corners. It would take many small steps, but they would soon make enough where the boy was far enough away from the demon. Right now, all they could do was coax him out of his cage.

"So what took you so long to come back Naruto" The pink mother asked, never forgetting to smile.

The boy looked as if he wasn't going to speak for a moment before his lips finally parted, "The training trip was three years..After that I asked the Hokage if I could go on solo missions to see if I had learned anything." His eyes were trained on the ground, but when Sai spoke his eyes left the miniscule hills of snow being crushed under their fidgeting feet.

"More than three years of solo missions Naru-chan? Wasn't she scared the Akatsuki would find you?"

The question must have hit a sore spot, for right after Naruto's eyes lowered once more, avoiding contact with others, "They found me a few times with Jiraiya...after that they stayed away."

Confused glances tried to attract his attention that he did not want to give and question were ready to pounce from their lips that he could not answer. That was one of the only times he was thankful to see the column of smoke that signaled the arrival of Kakashi. While he was thankful for the human to take a demon under his wing, difficult things seemed to follow his arrival.

As always the gray haired observed his students over his book, always looking after his children, his muscles tense, glancing from his innocent chicks to the sly fox that had gained their trust. A thick silence claimed the bridge, all eyes trained on their leader, the children frozen stuck in the moment where you are caught doing a wrong but are unable to stop. Their bodies frozen, still holding the devil's hand. The girl stared innocently, not seeing her crime while the boy took on a defiant look. In this situation, only one could be right but the verdict could not be reached with blood on all of their hands.

The snap of worn pages cut the scene, the man not wanting to raise questions went on with the day as usual, shining a twinkling smile at his prized students while the demon was cast in the shadows of his written past. "Today, we are going to go on our first mission as a five man team, I have already briefed with the Hokage and we have been given the task of observing the political environment of the tea country. According to our spies, there have been a few uprisings and we are going to see if they are going to pose any danger to the leaf. Gather your supplies and meet me at the south gate."

With that, the man disappeared in a poof and left the students to their tasks. It did not take long for Sai and his ward to shushin back to their home and gather supplies. He was going to show the blond how to be able to seal bulky clothing into scrolls so they could have more room in their packs for other supplies, but to his surprise his daughter already new how and wrote his seals quicker and beautifully than that of her supposed teacher. He would ask her, but it seemed she did not appreciate questions of what happened after she disappeared, much like the Uchiha with his monosyllable responses. He handed her a weapons pouch and showed her his stocks, inviting her to choose what she pleased, yet she simply looked at him warily, either not wanting to impose, or just being shy about her choice of weapons. To make it simpler, he went off to the other side of the shelves and started filling his own bag. After that preparations went quite quickly and they were at the gate. It did not take long for the overseer to return to his followers, ones that were strong enough to succeed, yet too foolish to realize it. The team exchanged looks with each other, the smoke traveler glanced at the murderer in his camp, the traitor stared forward trying to ignore his ghosts breathing over his should, the mother and father smiled as they held the hands of their dead child. And the demon breathed in the air of the outside as the gates opened before him. Pupils the shape of diamonds appeared in possessed eyes as the scent of red clouds came to him.


End file.
